Lemon Tree Hotels Reusing 85% of their Water

AW System can help hotels recover and reuse 85% of the water they use- interview with AW President Sunil Singhal

Q.Your core expertise for the last 30 years has been in providing process technology solutions to the sugar and distillery industry. How did the idea of Absolute Water originate ?

A.Yes, the parent company, Chemical Systems Technologies have been pretty much into providing process technology solutions to the sugar industry and its associated distillery industry for a very long time. Distillery effluent is the worst effluente to treat. We cut our teeth on distillery effluent and developed technology to treat that effluent and recover water that can be recycled. Now pollution norms demand that certain industries follow zero liquid discharge. But we have been working on enabling technologies for zero liquid discharge for many years. Industries like paper, distillery, etc. are major consumers of water. Therefore, we have been helping them with technology solutions to reduce ground water extraction and recycle it so that it can be reused.

In the process we have developed cutting edge technologies and got patents. The demo project that we set up for Delhi Jal Board (DJB) at Keshopur Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) is delivering 4,000 ltrs of drinking water per hour. The water quality is being tested every day by DJB for the last two months. The Central Pollution Control Board has also validated the quality of the water during their random checks.

Our AW System is based on a novel technology for treating raw water at its source and converting it into potable grade water meeting highest international standards. The biggest advantage of our technology is that it doesn’t generate sludge in the process. It is a green technology which we are using that chews up the entire sludge.

Q.What kind of relevance do you see for this technology in a hotel environment, considering the hotel industry’s reputation as a major guzzler of natural resources like water, energy, etc.?

A.Hotels have two large areas where water consumption is pretty large. One is the central air-conditioning system including the large cooling towers, etc. Another area is washrooms. 85% of the water being used in hotels can be recovered and reused for horticulture, airconditioning, washing and cleaning of public areas, toilets, etc.

While most of the hotels have treatment plants, some odour remains after treatment which makes it unfit for use except for horticulture purposes. The technology we use will not leave any odour after treatment, and there will be no bacteria or pathogens left in the treated water. The water is of potable quality which can be used for any type of use within the hotel.

At a time when hotels are inclined to flaunt their environment friendly certifications and are going Green, our technology will help them to attain much higher benchmarks in water conservation.

Q.Have you started promoting this technology to hotel clients? What is your roll out plan?

A.Yes, we are currently having talks with Lemon Tree Hotels for one of their hotel projects in Aurangabad. They will soon be visiting our site to understand the technological aspects of the system. We see tremendous potential in the hospitality industry as well as in big real estate developments, hostels, etc. It is a matter of getting a couple of good references that we are sure will create a multiplier effect.

The regulatory systems are going to change sooner than later. Ground water is not going to be free in the near future. The government will soon make licences for bore wells, mandatory. Eventually, there will be a cost attached to it besides the pumping cost. In certain places, even quality of water that is drawn from such sources is not of good potable quality. Therefore, the technology has enormous potential going forward.

Q.What is the cost implication of adoption of this technology and what is the return on investment (RoI)?

A.The technology we offer has the lowest operating cost compared to any other competitive system. Capex-wise, our technology has the same investment of any existing STP. The power cost is also comparatively less in this technology. This is an indigenously developed technology, and therefore, is 25 to 30% cheaper compared to technology being used by major international players in the market.

Source: Hospitality Biz India

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